


It's hard, being a kid and growing up. It's hard and nobody understands.

by SaltinesAndPeanutButter



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-06-16 09:24:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15433962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltinesAndPeanutButter/pseuds/SaltinesAndPeanutButter
Summary: Diamond authority human AU. In this AU, the diamonds are the owners of a huge corporation (think Walmart or Sam's Club) but instead of the locations being a shopping center, they're gated communities spanning for miles that include housing, hospitals, grocery stores, etc. People have spent their whole lives in these communities. Blue and Yellow (Belle and Daffodil or "Dil") are Pink's (Sharon's) moms, and White (Whitney) is the grandmother. Instead of being slaves, the pearls are merely live-in assistants, though this doesn't make their situation any better.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I might add more chapters to this or not. I'll just see if I get more ideas for this or not.

"Sharon. It's time to wake up, Pinky." Belle whispered while tapping Sharon's shoulder. Sharon opened her eyes to see her mom standing over her bed. 

"Good morning, Pinky. It's a big day today." Belle continued to whisper.

Sharon sat up in her bed and responded "It's my birthday! I'm thirteen today!"

"That's right! Today is your day, Pinky. I've had Edith make you some pancakes just the way you like them, with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Why don't you eat in your pajamas and get the day off to a fun start?" Belle suggested. Sharon happily agreed, running down the extensive stairs to the dining room whilst Belle trailed behind. She hastily took her seat beside her other mom, her mama, who was looking at some type of chart intently like she did every morning. And evening. And basically anytime Sharon saw her. 

"What're those charts about, mama?"

"Budgetary matters." Dil replied without even looking up.

"What to do with the budget?"

"You'll get to know more about budgets when you get your own faction of the Idyll." 

Just as Dil finished that sentence, Edith entered the kitchen and sat down the pancakes before Sharon, along with some applejuice.

"Happy birthday Ms. Stanton." Edith whispered before she sat down next to Belle.

"Sharon, after you're you're done eating, we have a present waiting for you in the living room. And Paige, would you come in here and take these papers to my office?"

Sharon's eyes lit up. She watched Paige, her mama's assistant, come in and retrieve the papers and disappear upstairs. 

"We have so much more planned for you today too. I can't believe our precious Pinky is a teenager today!" Belle said, tearing up.

"Belle, would you stop calling her that nickname? She's not a baby anymore." Dil commented. Belle just rolled her eyes in response.

When Sharon finished her pancakes and juice, Edith came and got her dirty dishes and washed them immediately. Edith was so quiet that Sharon had barely noticed she had been in the room the whole time. 

"Sharon, go to your room and get dressed properly and brush your hair. We'll be taking pictures of you with your present and I won't have you looking unkempt."

"Dil, please. It's her day."

"At least make her brush her hair."

"Go on, Pinky." Belle said, leading her our of the dining room.

Sharon walked up to her room and sat down at her vanity. Her hair did look something awful. But she hated how her mama made her feel for it. No matter what her hair was poofy with frizz. Brushing it only helped smooth out the silhouette. Nonetheless Sharon ran a brush through her hair and went back downstairs to the dining room. 

"Are you ready, Pinky?" Belle asked. Sharon nodded excitedly. Belle covered Sharon's eyes with her hands and Dil took Sharon's right hand and led her to the living room. Her moms sat her down on the sofa and told her she could look now. Sharon opened her eyes to see...another girl her age?

Dil walked over to the girl. "Sharon, this is Sophie. She was attending one of our boarding schools, but now she'll be studying online from now on. She's your new personal assistant. She'll help you with anything you need."

Belle quickly added "And we know how much you need a playmate and a friend! So we made sure to hire one the same age as you!" Belle gave Sophie a pat on her back, prompting her to get up and walk to Sharon. 

"Ms. Stanton, it is my pleasure to assist you." Sophie stated.

Sharon looked at the girl. She had short strawberry blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and she was wearing blue flats and a pink puffed sleeve dress that went down to her knees.

"We've even graciously provided her with a wardrobe entirely of your favorite color." Dil added.

Sharon didn't know what to think. Sure, she'd grown up around Paige, Edith, and Rebecca, but this had her feeling...uncomfy. Dil was acting like she now _owned_ this girl. She'd always longed for a friend, what with being homeschooled her whole life and rarely leaving this mansion let alone the Idyll. Still, this was odd. Did this girl even _want_ to be here? And why couldn't she keep her old clothes?

"Where are her quarters?" Sharon asked Dil, visibly worried.

"A small room is scheduled to be added to yours, but for now we have a trundle arriving today for your bed." Dil answered.

"Oh, and Paige, get over here and take a few pictures." Dil added. Paige rushed over with some expensive camera and took pictures as Dil instructed the different poses for Sharon and Sophie to get into for the pictures.

"Oh, and for another surprise, you're visiting grandma today!" Belle told Sharon.

"Why don't you have Sophie help you pick out an outfit for her first task?" Dil suggested immediately. Sharon nodded and walked up to her room, Sophie following closely behind. 

"Where is your closet, Ms. Stanton?" Sophie asked once they got to Sharon's room.

"Over there." Sharon pointed. Sophie walked into the closet and brought out a pink thermal shirt and some blue overalls.

"Does this please you, Ms. Stanton? And where do you keep your shoes?"

"I don't want to wear any shoes."

"But your mothers wouldn't be pleased with you walking outside in the snow with no shoes."

"It's not that far of a walk. It's just down that hallway, and then a short bridge to grandma's mansion."

"But you could slip fall off that bridge since it isn't merely a walkway on the ground. Your moms gave me a tour of the premises last night while you were sleeping."

Sharon sighed. "Fine. Sophie, can you get me my pink snow boots from my closet? They're on the top shelf."  

"At once!"

Sophie and Sharon walked to Whitney's mansion. Sophie rang the doorbell. A voice from a speaker asked "Who is it?"

"It's Starlight!" Sharon responded into the speaker, smiling with glee, pushing her face closer to the speaker.

"Starlight! Why I haven't seen you in ages. Come on in!"

The doors slid open and Sharon slipped her boots off near the door. 

"Sophie, aren't your feet cold? You aren't wearing a coat or leggings or anything. Don't you even want to take off your shoes?"

"My comfort doesn't matter, Ms. Stanton. Shall I put your shoes in front of the fireplace?"

"Sure. But c'mon, I wanna show you to grandma!" 

They walked through the maze of hallways that was Whitney's mansion to her sitting room. Sharon ran in and found her grandma sitting at her desk, as per usual.

"My little starlight! Come here and give grandma a hug!" Sharon and Whitney shared a brief sincere hug.

"Oh, and who might this be?" Whitney asked, gesturing to Sophie.

"She's my new assistant! Mommy and mama got her for me today."

"Oh, well isn't she just darling?" Whitney commented.

"How about you show her to the kitchen, starlight? I've found a wonderful birthday cake recipe, and she can help Rebecca prepare it for you."

Sharon's face lit up with joy before she nodded and ran off with Sophie.

"This is grandma's kitchen. There's Rebecca, she'll show you what to do." Sharon told Sophie before running off to Whitney.

Sophie took in Rebecca's odd appearance. First, she had a huge scar over her left eye. She had dark circles under her eyes as well, suggesting she doesn't get much sleep. Sophie figured she'd be spending a decent amount of company with Rebecca, so she decided to get off to a good start.

"Hello, Rebecca. I'm Sophie, Sharon's new assistant. How do you do?"

"I do only what Ms. Stanton asks of me."

"Well...alright. I guess we should get started on this cake?"

"That would certainly make both of our masters happy."

Rebecca ended up doing most of the work, while Sophie merely held things or threw away eggshells and other trash. Everytime Sophie tried to help, Rebecca just ignored her. Rebecca seemed...not all there. She seemed to blink less frequently, and often stared straight ahead into space. After Rebecca put the cake in the oven, she began loading the dishwasher. Then she told Sophie she needed to return to her quarters and to frost the cake and deliver it for her. Sophie sat and stared into the oven until the timer went off, then she frosted it with pink frosting. She then lifted the cake tray and carried it, trying to remember the route to Whitney's sitting room. She found it after a few minutes of confusion among the plain white walls and presented it to Sharon and Whitney. Whitney glanced at the cake for a moment while Sharon starred at it in awe. Whitney's eyes settled on Sophie for a second, which sent shivers up her spine.

"Sophie, where is Rebecca?"

"She returned to her quarters after loading the dishwasher."

"Good, good. Now Sophie, cut the cake for us, would you?"

"I forgot a knife, Ms. Stanton." Sophie replied, looking away from Whitney's judgmental glare. Her first day on the job and Sophie had already messed up.

"Then you'll just have to go and fetch one, won't you?" Whitney remarked with an eerie smile.

"At once, Ms. Stanton." Sophie complied, starting off towards the kitchen once more. The route was getting easier to remember. Once she was back, she set down the forks and plates she brought in addition to her knife and began to cut the cake and place it on the plates. She watched Sharon and Whitney feast on cake for a bit, when out of nowhere Sharon offered Sophie a slice. 

"A-am I allowed?"

"Yeah!" Sharon answered excitedly, but Whitney shot the both of them a disapproving glare when Sharon's back was turned. It faded quickly once Sharon turned back around. Sophie ate the cake in silence while Whitney and Sharon continued to chat. 

"What else are we eating tonight, grandma?"

"Nothing. Just this tasty birthday cake."

"Wow! My moms would've never let my have cake for dinner! Especially not mama!"

"Why I'd do anything to keep my little starlight happy! But it's getting late. Perhaps Sophie should escort you to your room?"

"What about the rest of the cake?"

"Sophie can take it to the kitchen and put it in the fridge. That way you can eat as much as you want when you next visit. Doesn't that sound lovely?"

Sharon nodded and then asked when she would next see Whitney.

"Whenever you want, starlight. Goodbye and sleep well!" Whitney said, waving goodbye as Sophie and Sharon left her sitting room. Sophie dropped off the dirty dishes and leftover cake in the kitchen on the way to the door. It was a lot to carry and Sophie was thankful she didn't drop anything. Then she led Sharon back to her room. Sharon changed into warm flannel pajamas and Sophie was provided with a thin nightgown. The trundle had already been set up, thankfully. Sharon settled into her canopy bed with expensive quilts and linens and Sophie laid on her bare mattress in the trundle. The both of them went to bed feeling weird and a little off.


	2. Chapter 2

Sharon's eyes snapped open only to be greeted with total darkness. She figured it must be around 5 AM, shortly before the sun came up. She was usually awakened by Edith around 10 AM. Sharon's eyes wandered to the trundle where Sophie was supposed to sleep, only the find the plain mattress empty. Sophie quietly and carefully walked through the doorway, she didn't seem to notice that Sharon was awake. Sophie then pushed in the trundle and sat down in the middle of the floor and took out a tablet from her suitcase and turned it on. Sharon didn't feel like going back to sleep so she turned on her beside lamp, and the suddenness of the burst of light made Sophie jump.

"I didn't mean to scare you!" Sharon exclaimed

"It's fine, it's fine." Sophie assured, readjusting her tablet.

Sharon got out of her bed and sat down across from Sophie on the floor.

"Is there something you need, Ms. Stanton?" Sophie asked.

"No. So what're you doing?" Sharon asked, peering towards Sophie to get a glimpse of her tablet screen.

"I'm doing my schoolwork. But if I may suggest something, why don't you try to go back to sleep? It's awfully early and if you don't get enough sleep, you'll be tired all day."

"I already tried."

"Would you like me to make your bed, Ms. Stanton?"

"I guess."

Sophie rose from the floor and made Sharon's bed, perfectly smoothing out the wrinkles in the quilts.

"Is this to your liking?"

Sharon nodded. Sophie sat down again on the dimly lit pink bedroom's floor. Sharon scooted closer to Sophie and Sophie scooted further away. Sharon craned her neck to get a glimpse of Sophie's screen again. 

"Ms. Stanton, would you like your breakfast now?" Sophie asked, hoping to get away from Sharon for long enough to get at least one classes work done.

"Sure."

"What would you like?"

"Can I have some pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream?"

"You certainly may." Said Sophie before grabbing her tablet and walking briskly down the stairs. When she got to the kitchen, Paige and Edith were already there preparing Dil and Belle their breakfast and Sophie could see them sitting in the dining room from the doorway. Unfortunately, Belle's eyes locked onto Sophie before Sophie could even wonder where the supplies were at.

"Sophie, why on earth are you down here so early?"

"Sharon woke up early and requested some breakfast, Mrs. Stanton." Sophie responded.

"Very well." Belle said.

Well, there was no chance of getting work done now, especially with Belle and Dil in her line of sight and vice versa. Still, she resigned to dutifully making Sharon's pancakes. Edith was friendly, albeit in an aloof manner, and showed her where all the supplies were kept. Once they were done, Sophie took them up to Sharon's room. Thankfully, while Sharon was eating Sophie got a chance to complete the work for one of her classes. The day went on with Sophie's schoolwork constantly being interrupted. Eventually it was time for dinner, and as Sophie and Sharon walked to the dining room, Sophie's face was buried in her tablet trying to complete more of her work. Sharon was a few steps ahead and Sophie trailed behind. Sophie wasn't looking where she was going due to her being so concentrated on her work, and she bumped into Dil and fell to the ground, cracking the screen of her tablet.

"Sharon!" Boomed Dil.

Sharon turned around to find Sophie trying desperately to gauge if her tablet was still usable, still yet to stand up.

"Keep a tighter leash on your assistant. We didn't gift her to you for you to simply let her walk round like a lost puppy."

"Yes mama."

"Good. Now get on up!" Dil ordered of Sophie. Sharon helped Sophie up to her feet, only to have Dil sigh in dissatisfaction and walk away.

"I'm sorry. We'll go to grandma's tomorrow and I'll see if she'll buy you a new one." Sharon whispered to Sophie.

"Thank you." Sophie said while picking up her tablet.

All throughout the rest of the evening, Sharon felt pangs of guilt. If she hadn't been so excitable and hadn't interrupted Sophie so much, then Dil wouldn't have gone off on the both of them. She was getting older, and that moment more so than any other had cemented what her moms had been lecturing her about ever since she could remember: that her actions have consequences.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about the long wait!

Sharon didn't sleep well that night. She felt awful about what happened to Sophie yesterday. She did eventually drift asleep, but she was soon awoken by Sophie.

"Ms. Stanton, it's time to get up." Sophie said while lightly tapping Sharon's shoulder. Sharon yawned and sat up in bed. 

"What would you like for breakfast this morning?" Sophie inquired. Sharon remembered that they needed to visit Whitney to get a new tablet for Sophie.

"Nothing. We need to get to grandma's as soon as possible." Sharon stated worriedly.

"Right. I'll inform your mothers of our trip immediately. Would you like for me to pick out your clothes?"

"No. Just go."

"Of course, Ms. Stanton." Sophie responded, walking down the stairs to the dining room quickly. She stopped in the doorway and Belle and Dil didn't seem to notice her at first, but their stinging glares fixed upon her soon enough.

"Mrs. and Mrs. Stanton, Sharon has made a request for me to accompany her to her grandmother's mansion this morning." Sophie told them.

"Very well." Dil replied, making a shooing motion with her hand immediately after. Sophie went back up the stairs to find Sharon fully dressed and they both went outside and crossed the bridge to Whitney's. Sophie rang the doorbell, to which Whitney asked "who is it?"

"It's starlight and Sophie!"

"Come on in starlight!" Whitney replied.

Sophie opened the door and they both walked in, making their way to Whitney's sitting room.

"Starlight! There you are." Whitney exclaimed as Sharon and Sophie entered the room.

"Hi grandma!" Sharon greeted before sitting down on the couch across from Whitney's desk-reclining chair hybrid.

"You can sit down too, you know." Sharon whispered to Sophie.

"So how has my little starlight been?" Whitney asked.

"We've been good until yesterday. There was...an accident and I broke the tablet Sophie uses for her schoolwork." Sharon explained. Sophie looked over to Sharon, surprised that she'd lie for her.

"Aw, well that's no good! Shall I have Rebecca order another one?"

"I'm sure Sophie would very much like that."

"Rebecca!" Whitney yelled. Rebecca rushed into the room a minute later, clearly out of breath and fatigued.

"Yes, Ms. Stanton?" Rebecca said, clearly struggling to make words.

"Order a new state of the art locked tablet fit for schooling at once. Make sure it arrives as soon as possible." Whitney ordered. Rebecca nodded in response.

"Say 'yes, Ms. Stanton'" Whitney ordered again.

"Yes, Ms. Stanton." Rebecca said after a moment, turning away after Whitney dismissed her. The rest of the visit, Sophie sat in silence while Sharon continued chatting with Whitney for the next little while. Eventually Whitney suggested that Sharon leave, saying she had personal business to attend to. On the way back, Sophie got two pieces of cake out of the fridge as per Sharon's request. They both went back into Sharon's bedroom and sat on her bed.

"Is there anything you need right now, Ms. Stanton?"

"No." Sharon replied. There was silence for a few minutes.

"Listen, I know you're kind of supposed to be my babysitter and you're supposed to tell my moms if I act up but can you never tell them what I'm about to say?" Sharon asked. Sophie opened her mouth to respond but before she could get anything out, Sharon started talking anyway.

"I'm worried about Rebecca. I've known her ever since I can remember, but I feel like something's wrong. Today she was out of breath the whole time and she looked skeletal; I could even see her spine through her clothes. Come to think of it she's always been like that but people don't just always look like they're starved unless they're starving! She has that huge scar over her eye and once I remember when I was little we were all over at her mansion and mama started yelling at grandma about Rebecca for some reason, saying the way grandma treated her was cruel and then Whitney told her that she needed to stop or else it would start to upset me. I've never remembered her having a personality ever! Paige and Edith and even you have personalities and thoughts of your own it seems like but Rebecca just seems empty. I don't know why all of this hit me today but it did and I just don't know what to do." Sharon let out.

"Um, you have my word, Ms. Stanton. This concern will definitely stay between us." Sophie stated. She then paused and continued with:

"To tell you the truth, she gave off this..disturbing vibe to me as well. I don't know what to think of it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back! I know this fic has been on hiatus for a while, but I'm back and this fic will be finished soon enough. There's only two more chapters left so stay tuned!

"Sharon, it's time to get up." Sophie said while tapping Sharon's shoulder. Sharon sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"So what type of surprise do you think Dil and Belle are gonna have for me today?" Sharon asked rhetorically.

"I understand you're less than excited for what they have planned for your eighteenth birthday, but let's stay optimistic for now." Sophie consoled.

"Alright." Sharon replied, already exhausted despite just having woken up.

"Do you want any special breakfast this morning?"

"No. Just some cereal."

"Any particular kind?"

"No."

"Very well, Sharon." 

Sophie went down to the kitchen and retrieved some Cheerio's from the cabinet and poured some into a bowl with milk and sugar. On her way back to Sharon's room she was interrupted by Belle.

"Sophie, isn't Sharon coming down for breakfast?" Belle asked, clearly worried that this day would turn out to be a flop.

"Uh, she didn't say. Would you like her to?"

"Yes. Please have her come down."

"Yes, Mrs. Stanton." Sophie said, setting the bowl down on the dining room table along with the cereal spoon. She made her way up to Sharon's room.

"Sharon...Belle wants you down there for breakfast. I'd advise getting dressed." Sophie said.

"Ugh." Sharon sighed. She got up and went to her walk-in closet and closed the door, returning after a few minutes in the pink dress her moms had ordered for her a few weeks ago.

"Let's go." Sharon said, sounding not very excited at all. They both walked down to the dining room and took a seat. Sophie looked uncomfortable while Sharon seemed gloomy, both of which were absolutely true.

"Sharon, is something wrong?" Belle asked. Dil was occupied with some papers as per usual.

"No." Sharon responded.

"Good. Because Dil had this wonderful idea for a birthday gift that you're just going to love!" Belle exclaimed. Dil looked up from her papers for a moment before focusing on them again. After breakfast was done, Belle and Dil led Sophie and Sharon into the living room.

"Upon much thought, I've decided to give you your own faction of the idyll." Dil said.

"We know you've been looking forward to this for years!" Belle said, much more excited than Dil.

"Soon enough you'll be in charge of thousands of individual lives. Don't take this responsibility lightly. We're having an office constructed for you within the next few weeks."

Sharon didn't know what to think. Sure she'd always wanted her own faction, but within the past few years she found herself caring about that less and less. Sophie was in shock as well, barely able to hold onto her tablet.

"Whitney is very busy today, but if you want you can give her a call and talk to her about this. We'll be working with her to set up everything for you!"

Sharon turned around and walked calmly up the stairs to he room, leaving Sophie  and her moms in shock. 

"Go on." Dil said, motioning for Sophie to follow Sharon.

Sophie made her way up the stairs to Sharon's room to find Sharon sitting on her bed. Sophie closed the door and sat down next to her.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. When I was little I really wanted this, but now that I'm older, it all seems fake. Like they're just trying to placate me."

"Well, you're the heir to the Idyll. They'd have to give you your own faction whether they wanted you to have one or not. After all, when they're gone, who's going to take care of this aside from you?"

"You're right. I guess."

"Sharon, if you don't want to deal with this then you need to say so now. I'll even tell them for you."

"I don't know if I want this or not!"

"Well, look at it this way: how difficult can it be? Belle and Dil are having everything done for you as of right now. Belle did say that you could give Whitney a call, y'know."

"Then get my phone, Sophie."

"Whitney doesn't have a phone. She only does video call, remember?"

"Right."

Sharon walked to her computer desk and sat down, pulling up the video chat client. Sophie just stood beside Sharon's chair.

"Happy birthday, Starlight!" 

"Hi, grandma."

"Have Belle and Daffodil told you about your present yet?"

"Yeah. They told me to call you and talk about it."

 "Well I hope you're having a wonderful birthday! You haven't talked to me in so long, dear."

"Sorry."

"Don't be! I assume you were busy."

"I guess."

"I just know you're going to be a great ruler for your faction! Why, I remember when I first started the idyll I was only a bit older than you!"

Sharon's bored facial expression suddenly changed into one of surprise.

"Really?" She asked excitedly.

"Yes! I was only twenty years old when I started the first faction of the idyll. It was right after the economy tanked. Nobody trusted the banks or the government. I was even evicted from my own home. I came upon a neighborhood of abandoned houses and I moved into one! Surprisingly enough nobody ever came to kick me out of there. Eventually more people started moving into these abandoned homes. After that, I decided to-" Whitney went on like this for quite some time telling Sharon the history of the Idyll until a frustrated looking Edith knocked on the door to Sharon's room. Sophie went to answer the door.

"Belle is very mad. Where have you been?" Edith said in an angry whisper.

"Uh,...in here with Sharon?" Sophie answered.

"You were supposed to be down here to make her dinner an hour ago!"

"Oh...sorry." Sophie said in realization of her mistake.

"Sharon?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah?"

"What would you like to eat?"

"Macaroni!"

"I'll be on that right away, Ms. Stanton." Sophie replied, and with that she scurried downstairs with Edith.

"You need to keep that assistant in check, Sharon."

"Uh...ok."

"In the outerworld they won't even let you have assistants like we do here. It's a privilege; remember that."

"Why?"

"They just don't care about people's best interests out there like we do here."

While Sharon was having an increasingly uncomfortable conversation with Whitney upstairs, Sophie was downstairs having to deal with the angry tension all due to her mistake.

"If I had it my way we'd throw her out onto the streets! She's been here for seven years now and she's yet to improve."

"Dil, please. She's not as good as Edith and Paige but she's a kid. She still has time."

Sophie carried the bowl of macaroni up to Sharon's room and watched her eat while continuing to listen to Whitney's monologue about the Idyll.

"Why, it's already nine o'clock! That's my bedtime, Starlight. Good luck with your faction!" Whitney said before hanging up.

"Well, that was...weird." Sharon noted.

"Yeah." Sophie agreed. The two girls sat in silence for a few minutes after that.

"Sharon?"

"Yeah?"

"What would you do if your moms wanted to, um, get rid of me?"

"I'd never let them do that! Sophie, where'd you get that idea from?"

"They were talking about it while I was cooking the macaroni."

"Sophie, I'd never let them take you away. I'd scream and cry and kick and fight. You're my only friend."

"You're my only friend, too."


	5. Chapter 5

"Sophie, did you have any friends before you came here?" Sharon asked.

 

"No. Never."

 

"Me neither." Sharon continued: "So what are your parents like?"

 

"I don't have any parents." Sophie replied, a bit confused.

 

"Parents. Y'know, the people that made you."

 

"Ah! Well, I was made at one of the Idyll's finest laboratories. Does that answer your question?"

 

"Do you mean that you were _born_ at a laboratory?"

 

"No, I wasn't born. I was _made._ Why are you using such archaic language?"

 

"My moms told me that babies are born and that they come out of vaginas."

 

"That's not how it's done here."

 

"What are you talking about, Sophie? Seriously, babies aren't _made_ , they're _born_ _!_ "

 

"You honestly don't know anything about what happens here?"

 

"No!" Sharon cried, visibly confused and stressed.

 

"Well, okay. I'll explain it all." Sophie said, putting her hand on Sharon's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

 

Sophie sighed, clearly gathering her thoughts.

 

"Not enough people were willing to move here to keep the population going up through, well, traditional methods.

At first, we began purchasing existing towns and cities. It worked for a while, but eventually very few communities were willing to accept our offer.

Then we began recruiting individual people, but this proved ineffective as well because few were willing to leave behind everything they'd ever known. After that, we made a

deal with the government outside the Idyll which allowed us to legally take people by force.

However, the population still wasn't to Whitney's liking so she poured money into funds for our scientists to figure out a way to manufacture children in a lab."

 

"You mean to tell me that there are actual walking talking test tube babies all over the Idyll?"

 

"Well, yeah. You're talking to one." 

 

"But don't you need two people's DNA to do that? To _make_ a baby?"

 

"You need DNA, yes, but not in the way you're thinking of. Basically, there's a database of all possible genetic traits, and when a new baby is made they put them into a gene

scrambler. Then they make the baby with an artificial womb. Only really rich people have two parents. It costs money to get usable DNA from an actual person, after all!"

 

"So I'm Dil and Belle's biological daughter, at least?" Sharon asked anxiously. 

 

"They certainly have the money to do that, but you don't look much like them to me. You'd have to ask."

 

Sharon looked down, her head hung between her shoulders.

 

"This is a lot to take in. I don't know what to say. Or what to think."

 

"I'm surprised they kept it from you for this long."

 

"None of this sits well with me. I have to get out of here."

 

"And go where, exactly?" Sophie asked, intending to show Sharon how unreasonable her line of thinking was.

 

"Anywhere. I don't care. Just out of here."

 

"You can't leave. You wouldn't know what life outside of the Idyll is like! I barely know what it's like."

 

"I don't care. We can learn."

 

"We?"

 

"Yes, we. I'm not leaving without you, Sophie."

 

"Listen, let's just go to bed. I think you need to calm down. Maybe you'll feel differently in the morning."


End file.
